Grip-slot closer for cable railways



(No Model.

L. OQJENNINGSQ GRIP SLOT CLOSER FUR CABLE RAILWAYS. No. 345,594.

Patented July 13, 1886.

" Fig.4.

filventor Zi/nmews a J/njin .5.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LINNAEUS 0. JENNINGS, or s'r. LOUIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HENRY F.HAFER, 0E s'r. CHARLES, MIssoUEI.

GRIP-SLOT CLOSER FOR CABLE RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 345.594, dated July 13,1886.

Application filed February 10, 1886. Serial No. 191,478.

To all whom it may concern,

Be it known that I, LINNAEUS O. J ENNINGs, of the city of St. Louis, inthe State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Grip-SlotCloser for Cable Railways, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a topview. Fig. 2 is a transverse section at 2 2, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is anenlarged top view. Fig. 4 is an enlarged outside, and Fig. 5am insideelevation.

The invention relates to means, hereinafter fully described, forsecuring to the sides ofthe grip-slot railswhich have a limitedtransverse movement, and whose edges are held together by springs whennot forced open by the grip-shank. By use of the closer I am enabled tomake the slot wider, so as to allow the use of a grip'shank of greaterthickness than would be otherwise admissible, as an open slot is anelement of danger in a street, the danger increasing as the width of theslot increases. This has necessitated making the grip-shank thin, so. asto move freely in a narrow slot. Of course, as the shank was madethinner, it was necessary to make it broader, and this made it unsuitedto the short forming the sides of the slot. Upon the flanges B lie themovable closing rails O, which in their normal position, as seen inFigs. 2 and 3, close the grip-slot D. The rails are held in place bystud-bolts E, which are screwed into or otherwise attached to the undersides of the (No model.)

rails O. The shanks of. the stud-bolts work in transverse slots b oftheflanges, the slots having suflicient length to allow the rails Otomove outward as they are forced asunder by the shank F of the grip inpassing. The heads e of the stud-bolts extend beneath the flanges B ateach side of the slots b, so as to hold the rails 0 down. The heads 6have transverse holes, through which pass loosely studs G, which arefixed in the sides A. Surrounding the studs G, between the sides A andthe heads 6, are spiral springs H, whose office is to force the edges ofthe rails 0 together over the grip-slot D. The ends of the rails C haveinterlocking tongues c and recesses c, forming a hinge-connectionallowing a very limited movement of the rails upon each other at thesepoints.

I claim as my invention-- 1. The combination of rails or flanges formingthe sides of the grip-slot in a cable railway, orifices therein for thepassage of studs, closingrailslying on the flanges, with studs extendingfrom their under sides through the orifices of the flanges, studs fixedin the sides of the cable-conduit, extending into orifices of therail-studs, and springs bearing against the rail-studs,forci'ng themeeting edges of the closing-rails together.

2. The combination, in a cable railway, of closing-railslying over theslot rails orflanges, having transverse horizontal movement thereon,jointed together at the ends, and having studs extending throughorifices in the slotrails, and having heads extending beyond the edgesof the orifices, studs extending from the sides of the cable-conduitinto holes in the stud-heads, and springs bearing against thestud-heads, for the purpose set forth.

LINNAEUS 0. JENNINGS.

Witnesses:

SAML. KNIGHT, BENJN. A. KNIGHT.

